Friday, March 23, 2018

Equality and Difference

It is a common critique that equality as an end tends to self destruct. Alexis de Tocqueville offers an argument for this idea in Democracy in America, and Hegel makes the same claim in his work. In both cases the argument goes relatively simply.

When held out as an end, equality requires all differences, all hierarchy, and all dissent to be flattened. Equality as an end by itself thus requires the imposition of equality and the destruction of any who would raise up differences. Equality cannot tolerate authority or institutions. It thus raises an in-group over an out-group, removing both equality and liberty. From "all humans are equal" we move quite quickly to "but those who recognize that are more equal than others."

We may seem to be safe from an equality which would level out all difference. We, after all, value differences. We honor each individual's right to express him or herself in a unique manner. Nevertheless, we refuse to let these differences exist as differences. We refuse the idea that differences might make a difference. Differences are permitted so long as they do not matter. This is not merely the opposition to differences in value, but an opposition to practical differences. We are uncomfortable, not only with the idea that it may be better to be smarter and not everyone is equally smart, but also with the idea that those with particular talents might be better off doing some things than others. We want to say that anyone can do anything just as well, but to say this we must turn a blind eye to practical differences.

Neither de Tocqueville nor Hegel are opposed to equality per se, but only to equality as an end in itself. Instead, both see equality as a means to liberty, albeit a means which may seek the role of end, and must be kept in its place. This was one of de Tocqueville's cautions for us in America: he saw that equality could be a tempting end, and thus lead to our downfall.

To preserve liberty, we must aim for enough equality that all have a degree of power, yet permit enough difference that not all have the same power. To preserve equality, we must recognize equal honor of those in different roles which require different actions. Different individuals have different powers, and thus find themselves in different practical situations which thus call for different responses. We can acknowledge this without claiming that some sets of powers or situations make an individual worth more or worth hearing more.

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